Disclaimer: All rights belong to their original owners. No copyright infringement intended. A/N: Hello, hello here's chapter five. I hope you enjoy it :)
Monster in law: Chapter five
~~o0o~~
It was three hours later when C.C. finally slipped her key into the front door lock and slowly entered the quiet house, locking the door behind her.
"Niles?" C.C. called out as she tossed her keys into the small foyer table near the door. The living room was dark and quiet. She thought that Niles wasn't home, so she walked through the living room and towards the stairs, but when she put her foot on the first step of the staircase she heard tiny clicking sounds coming from the sofa. When she turned around, she was surprised to see Niles sitting on the couch with his laptop open in his lap.
"Niles?" She asked again while stepped closer to where he sat, closing the distance between them.
He didn't answer. His eyes remained focused on the laptop screen in front of him as his fingers continued to fly across the keyboard.
C.C. blinked in surprise. Something was obviously wrong. Niles wasn't acting at all like himself, well at least like his new self, anyway. At this moment he reminding her more of his old self, the one who used to ignore her with only purpose to make her even more irritated -well and slightly frustrated but this was another story-.
C.C. set her purse down on the small coffee table and shrugged out of her coat then she said a little louder his name two or three more times, trying to capture his attention, but still, no response. She was really angry now and the first trimester hormones certainly didn't help. "God damn it, butler boy answer me!" C.C. yelled, putting her hands on her hips.
Finally looked up, closing the laptop and tossing it on the other edge of the couch with such force it nearly fell into the floor. "What's wrong with you?" He asked, turning slightly and looking her right in the eyes.
C.C.'s eyes widened in confusion before they locked with his. "Well hello to you too."
"Don't play coy with me C.C. Now Answer me." He demanded, an angry edge clearly present in his voice.
"I have no idea what are you talking about." She replied, shaking her head, clearly confused by his words.
"Why didn't you answer my calls? I called you four times and each one went straight to your voicemail. I thought something had happened to you."
"What calls? I didn't get any calls." C.C. said confused, sliding her purse off her shoulder. She slipped her hand to her purse looking for her cell phone, but she couldn't find her phone anywhere. Crap. She cursed under her breath. Where is my phone? I always put it in my purse. She whispered to herself then started to empty the contents of her purse on the coffee table, taking out her makeup, her wallet and various other personal items. She had nearly empty her purse when she remembered she'd put her cell phone in the top drawer of Maxwell's desk.
C.C. sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I forgot my phone on Maxwell's office." She told him with an apologetic tone in her voice.
Niles felt a mixture of confusion and anger beginning to well up inside of him. "That or you were too busy eating with 'colon'." He said flatly, getting his name wrong on purpose.
"First is Colin not colon and second I told you I forgot my phone…" Then suddenly stopped talking, realizing that she still had no idea how Niles knew about her and Colin. "Wait a minute, how did you find out?"
"You were supposed to be home three hours ago, so we could eat lunch together. So, after the second hour passed and you still didn't show up, I called Maxwell and he told me that you were out for lunch with 'colon'." Niles tried to keep the tone of his voice even, but his rising jealousy betrayed him causing his voice to come out colored with bitterness. He had to know what was going on, and he was sure that his head was going to burst if he didn't get an explanation to all of this within the next five seconds.
C.C kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto the couch with a sigh. She was completely exhausted and a fight with Niles was the last thing she needed to deal with right now. "Niles, listen to me, nothing happened, Colin was a perfect gentleman plus I would have killed him for even trying something." She said, trying to reassure him.
"I never said that something happened." He exclaimed staring miserably down at his hands.
She put her hand on his cheek and turned his face to look at hers. "Then why you hate him so much?" C.C. questioned, staring challengingly into his eyes.
"I don't hate 'colon' or anything like that. I'm just not necessarily excited about his existence."
"It's Colin." She corrected him again, but it only served to add more fuel to the fire.
"I can't think of anything I care less about." He yelled before he could stop himself then he thought, Oops, had that been out loud?
A small laugh escaped her lips."I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh." She said, seeing his eyebrow arch at her. "It's just; you're rather cute when you're jealous." She said, a smile spreading all over her lips.
"I am not jealous!"He exclaimed in a loud voice, although it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than her. "I just want to know why you went out for lunch with him and oh… you better have a damn good explanation." He could feel the jealousy rising up in his stomach. He didn't know why, he knew he had no real reason to feel this way, he was sure that C.C. loved him after all, but still he couldn't help it. He had a very bad feeling about Colin's true intentions for her.
C.C. sighed, running her hand through her hair. "Didn't Maxwell tell you?"
"Tell me what?" He asked with a quizzical look on his face.
C.C. felt nervous all of a sudden."I will tell you, but you must promise me that you will not overreact." She said trying to reason him, although deep down knew, she would have probably done the same if the situation were reversed.
"I'll try"
She hesitated for a moment, but she knewit was time to face the music. "Colin is our new investor; our lunch was a business lunch." She blurred out.
He pushed himself from the couch and stood up."What?" He asked with his eyebrows raised high in shock.
C.C. sighed and closed her eyes, leaning against the sofa. "He wants to invest 10 million dollars on our new play."
"You know as well as I do the only reason Colon would want to invest his money into this play is because in some sick and twisted way he wants another chance with you." He said staring at her like she had gone crazy.
"I know… and maybe you are right... maybe I shouldn't have accepted the agreement, but Maxwell insisted and I really didn't feel I had a choice. The show needs the money." She insisted, her eyes pleading him to understand her reasons.
Niles let out a sigh and sat on the couch again. A small part of him wanted to yell at her, to scream at her that she was being impulsive, proud, and blind, but his biggest part understood her reasons. "I may not like Colin or understand your choice to sacrifice yourself for money like is no big deal, but even then I know this is your job and I understand why you did it." Niles said, his voice firm yet gentle.
She flashed him a grateful smile and placed her hand over his, giving it a light squeeze. "And I understand why you don't trust Colin, I feel the same way, but you have to trust me. I know what I'm doing."
Niles took a deep breath and then nodded in acceptance. "Fine" He muttered, a little bitter at the fact that he didn't really have a choice in this.
"Are you still angry with me?" C.C. asked but immediately realized how ridiculous that must've sounded because of course Niles was still angry at her so she quickly added, "I'm sorry. That was a stupid question. Of course you're still angry and you have every right to be."
"I am angry," Niles told her forcefully, but then he sighed and added in a lower tone, "but not with you, I'm angry about the situation, about him."
Her lips formed a warm smile and she said, "You should have seen the look on his face when I told him that I'm married to you."
"He probably had the same look I had a few months ago when he almost stole the love of my life from me." Niles replied, without really thinking.
His words caught her completely off guard. "The love of your life? You loved me? Even back then?" C.C. asked, raising an eyebrow.
Niles smiled. "I have always loved you, since the first time I saw you." He whispered, gently tucking a piece of blonde hair behind her ear.
"Why you never told me?" She asked quietly.
He swallowed his pride and answered. "I tried."
C.C. titled her head in confusion. "You did?"
He nodded in response then took a deep breath preparing himself to speak. "Remember that time, several months ago, when Colin came to the mansion to take you out for lunch?"
C.C. nodded slowly. "How could I forget? I was in front of the hall mirror fixing my face and you came behind me and said Mirror, mirror on the wall, why must I look like Charles De Gaulle?" It was a really nasty jock. She said pouting slightly.
"Says the woman who once had called me Hume Cronyn." Niles replied in a mock tone.
C.C. rolled her eyes."Ugh, fine…we are even now move along with the story, Hume."
Niles chuckled in response and then continued. "I was waiting for a zinger, but you just turned around and told me that you didn't have time for me."
"Colin had called me earlier that day and asked me to join him for lunch." C.C. said.
He noddedand then continued. "You started walking toward the door saying I'm being taken out tonight,"
I followed you and replied "Well in that case I'll open the drapes and give the gunman a cleaner shot. And this time my dear wife you must admit it, it was a good one."
C.C. rolled her eyes again and let out a small laugh. "Okay, okay I admit, it was okay."
"Yes, but back then you just turned around and give me a cold glair. It was then that I realized that something had changed between us. Then the door bell rang and I crossed the living room to answer the door."
"It was Colin." C.C. found herself saying.
Niles just nodded his head, staring at the wooden leg of the coffee table. "He started insulting you, but to my surprise you didn't insult him back. Instead you started laughing and I…oh I …was so angry. He had no right to talk to you that way, I never…" He trailed off when she gave him her best 'are you kidding me' look, then chuckled and said, "Okay, let me explain this, when I did it was different I was more like… a game or foreplay and you can deny it all you want, but I think a part of you enjoyed that game."
"True." She agreed as a big smile suddenly formed on her lips, but her smile disappeared just as quickly as it came when probably the saddest expression she'd ever seen flitted across Niles's features.
"I watching you smiling to him just like you do now and I felt my hard shattering into a million pieces." Niles let out a deep sigh. Sadness filled his throat, making his voice coming out deep and heavy. "For a few moments I couldn't move, I just stood rooted there, staring blankly at you following him out of the mansion and into his limo and thinking that I had lost the love of my life forever."
C.C.'s heart clenched painfully at his words. A wave of guilt rushed over her body, but she didn't interrupt him.
"At first, I forced myself to push the thought of you being with someone else to the back of my mind, but as the days went by it became more and more difficult for me. After lots of thought and a small talk with Maxwell I decided I couldn't lost you, at least not without tell you about my feelings first. So I mustered up all my courage and the next day I bought a bouquet of your favorite flowers and…"
"Wait, what?" She interrupted him. "The flowers were for… me?" C.C. asked, emphasizing the last word.
Niles nodded his head.
"I thought they were for Lynn Redgrave."
"No, the whole thing with her was just an act to make you jealous." Niles confessed to her.
Her mouth hung open in surprise. "But, but, why?" C.C. asked once she found her voice.
"Let me continue with the story and you will understand. Now where I was?"
"You had bought a bouquet of my favorite flowers and…" She said and then paused, waiting for him to continue.
"Oh yes, I had bought flowers for you and I had even prepared my speech in front of the mirror, but unfortunately, when you finally arrived in the mansion you were in a terrible mood. So when I told you that I had something to open up about you lost your patience."
"I remember, I was really angry and I was plotting my revenge against Colin, the bustard had just dumped me for his secretary." C.C. explained as her mind filled with painful memories.
"And just when I thought things couldn't get worse, they did. After a while you started making fun of me. It was obvious that wasn't the best time to confess my love to you. So I decided to wait until the day I would have a successful career, a substantial income, a home. Besides, you and Colin had broken up, so I didn't see the point to rush things, but inside me I never stopped loving you."
Her lip began to tremble at his confession so she bitted her lip to keep her tears in check. "Niles I'm so sorry," C.C. whispered as she looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry I hurt you back then, I'm sorry I'm making such a mess now and ... I'm just sorry, I don't know what else to say." It was always difficult for C.C. to apologize for things, but that rarely stopping her anymore when it came to him.
"It's okay. You have nothing to be sorry about…" Niles said in a gentle voice.
"I swear sometimes it feels like I was another woman back then...a foolish woman, overtaken by meaningless things like money and social status, not love… and I…I was so sure Colin was exactly what I needed …if I only knew…" She said with a bit of regret to her tone. Then she dropped her eyes to the floor thinking of the past twenty years and everything the years had brought her, including her remarkable, unlikely "relationships" with Maxwell and Colin. Oh, how differently her life would have turned out if she wasn't so blinded by social status to the point where she was willing to ignore her true feelings for Niles for so many again she knew that if things had turned out differently she never would have accepted her feelings for him.
"There's no point being sorry about something unless you can do something about it. And you can't. Plus, you were in love and there's no way you could have know that, that scum was going to cheat on you…and to tell the truth… I'm grateful he did because in the end the most amazing, handsome, hilarious and clever man…" He said, pointing to himself. "…did end up winning your heart and mind."
"Whatever, Hume." C.C. said teasingly.
"Oh shut up, Charles." Niles replied, without missing a beat.
After a few more moments of teasing each other a serious expression crossed C.C's face once more. "Thank you." She said.
"For what?"
"Thank that you never give up on us. Even in the darkest hour, when all hope seems lost, you still believe in us. Thank you so much." She struggled to speak, as she was overcome with emotion.
"I would never give up on us, C.C." He told her seriously, hoping she could see how much he meant it.
Hearing those words come out of his mouth she felt her eyes start to water again. "Stupid hormones, they make me soft!" C.C. complained as a smile found its way to Niles lips.
"Niles?"
"Yes, my love?"
"I'll make it up to you." She promised.
"Oh…I count on that." He said smiling mischievously.
"I meant for lunch, you pervert." C.C. replied, hitting him playfully on the arm.
Niles let out a loud laugh then leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips, linking his arms around her waist and pulling her into his lap in one swift movement. In that moment all the worries and troubles seemed so far away and C.C. felt deeply grateful, knowing that this happy, peaceful moment in her life probably wouldn't last.
To be continued…